Thirteen games on for the last game day of 2018. We begin with two matinees, the first in...
DC, as the Washington Capitals host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Braden Holtby tend the twines. Washington led off in the first period with a Michal Kempny goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Nicklas Backstrom. The Capitals added on with a Jakub Vrana goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from John Carlson and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Nashville got on the board with a Rocco Grimaldi goal, his second of the season, assisted by Zac Rinaldo and Mattias Ekholm. Washington replied in the second period on a Chandler Stephenson goal, his fifth of the year, via Devante Smith-Pelly and the goalie Holtby. The Predators shot back with a Miikka Salomaki goal, his third of the season, coming off of Nick Bonino and Ekholm. Nashville tied it on a Ryan Johansen goal, his seventh of the year, with a lone assist by Roman Josi. The Predators pulled ahead with a Frederick Gaudreau goal, his third of the season, helped along by Grimaldi and Craig Smith. Nashville extended the lead in the third period as Ryan Ellis scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson. The Predators padded the lead on an Arvidsson power play goal, his ninth of the campaign, powered by Johansen and Kevin Fiala. This made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars going to Johansen, Grimaldi, and Arvidsson, while Ekholm takes an honorable mention.
In New Jersey, the Devils welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Anders Nilsson and MacKenzie Blackwood are in the creases. New Jersey began in the first period with a Brian Boyle goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Drew Stafford and Brett Seney. The Devils added on with a Miles Wood power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Sami Vatanen and Jesper Bratt. New Jersey extended the lead as Vatanen scored on the power play in the third period, his third of the season being helped along by Wood and Damon Severson. The Devils padded the lead as Pavel Zacha scored his seventh of the year, thanks to Stefan Noesen and Steven Santini. This stood for a 4-0 win, with the three stars given to Blackwood (25 save shutout), Wood, and Vatanen.
Later on, the Buffalo Sabres bring in the New York Islanders. Robin Lehner and Carter Hutton draw the starts in goal. New York got going in the second period with a Nick Leddy goal, his second of the season, via Mathew Barzal and Leo Komarov. The Islanders added on in the third period with a Brock Nelson goal, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Joshua Ho-Sang and Scott Mayfield. Buffalo got on the board with a Kyle Okposo power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Nathan Beaulieu and Casey Mittelstadt. New York iced it at 3-1 with a Ryan Pulock empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by the goalie Lehner. The three stars were Lehner (39 for 40 in saves), Nelson, and Leddy.
Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes host the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Curtis McElhinney are the mediocre goalies. Carolina started in the first period with a Lucas Wallmark goal, his third of the season, helped along by Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin. The Hurricanes added on with an unassisted Jordan Martinook goal in the second period, his ninth of the year. Carolina extended the lead as Andrei Svechnikov scored his eleventh of the season, with the help of Clark Bishop. Michal Neuvirth replaced Hart in goal. Philadelphia got on the board with a Jakub Voracek goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Wayne Simmonds and Scott Laughton in the third period. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to McElhinney (22 for 23 in saves), Martinook, and Svechnikov.
Northwest to Minnesota, as the Wild welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Casey DeSmith and Devan Dubnyk play in the creases. Minnesota opened in the first period with a Mikko Koivu power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle. Pittsburgh tied it on a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, with assists provided by Phil Kessel and Kris Letang. The Penguins pulled ahead on a Kessel goal, his seventeenth of the season, passed from Crosby and Zach Aston-Reese. Pittsburgh added on in the second period with a Riley Sheahan goal, his fifth of the year, assisted by Kessel and Matt Cullen. The Wild got one back in the third period with a Zach Parise goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, guided in by Koivu and Mikael Granlund. They came up short at 3-2, with the three stars given to Kessel, Crosby, and Koivu.
South to St. Louis, as the Blues bring in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Jake Allen protect the nets. St. Louis struck first in the first period with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his fifteenth of the season, with a lone assist by David Perron. New York tied it on a Mats Zuccarello power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Chris Kreider. The Rangers took the lead with a Boo Nieves goal in the second period, his second of the campaign, fueled by Ryan Strome and Kevin Shattenkirk. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Lundqvist (39 for 40 in saves), Nieves, and Zuccarello.
Back east, the Columbus Blue Jackets host the Ottawa Senators. Marcus Hogberg is mismatched with Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. Ottawa dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Ryan Dzingel goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Chris Tierney and Bobby Ryan. Columbus tied it on a Zach Werenski goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Artemi Panarin and Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Blue Jackets took the lead in the third period on a Dubois goal, his fifteenth of the season, made possible by Cam Atkinson and Seth Jones. Columbus added on with another Dubois goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Senators got one back with a Ryan goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Mark Borowiecki and Mikkel Boedker. Ottawa tied it with a Dzingel goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, with helpers from Matt Duchene and Dylan DeMelo. The Blue Jackets reclaimed the lead with a Werenski goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, via Atkinson and Dubois. Columbus extended the lead as Atkinson scored his twenty-fourth of the year on an empty net, set up by Panarin and Ryan Murray. The Blue Jackets capped it at 6-3 with an unassisted Josh Anderson empty net goal, his fourteenth of the campaign. The three stars were Dubois, Werenski, and Dzingel, while Atkinson, Panarin, and Ryan take the honorable mentions.
Staying close, the Detroit Red Wings welcome the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Jimmy Howard are the experienced goalies. Detroit kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his thirteenth of the season, passed from Luke Witkowski and Niklas Kronwall. The Red Wings added on with a Gustav Nyquist goal, his tenth of the year, via Dylan Larkin and Justin Abdelkader. Detroit extended the lead as Thomas Vanek scored his sixth of the season, thanks to Frans Nielsen and Tyler Bertuzzi. James Reimer replaced Luongo in goal to start the second period. Florida got on the board in the second period with a shorthanded Jared McCann goal, his seventh of the year, set up by Juho Lammikko and Mark Pysyk. The Panthers got closer on a Henrik Borgstrom goal, his third of the season, coming off of Frank Vatrano and Aaron Ekblad. Florida tied it as Jayce Hawryluk scored his third of the year, with the help of Colton Sceviour. The tie went into a shootout, where Jonathan Huberdeau's lone tally gave the Panthers a 4-3 win. The three stars were Hawryluk, Borgstrom, and Reimer (12 for 12 in saves in relief).
Out west, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Semyon Varlamov occupy the creases. Los Angeles cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Drew Doughty power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Tyler Toffoli and Anze Kopitar. The Kings added on with a Sean Walker goal, via Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Colorado got on the board in the third period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, passed from Mikko Rantanen. The Avalanche tied it on a Carl Soderberg goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Tyson Barrie and Gabriel Landeskog. Los Angeles won 3-2 in overtime with a Brown goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Jake Muzzin. The three stars were Brown, Kopitar, and Walker.
In California, the Anaheim Ducks host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and John Gibson guard the cages. Tampa Bay was first to score in the first period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Erik Cernak and Brayden Point. Anaheim tied it with a Nick Ritchie goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Ondrej Kase and Josh Mahura. The Lightning won 2-1 in overtime with a Point goal, his twenty-third of the campaign, made possible by Kucherov and Victor Hedman. The three stars were awarded to Point, Kucherov, and Vasilevskiy (35 for 36 in saves).
Eastward to Dallas, as the Stars welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Antti Niemi and Ben Bishop are between the pipes. Montreal drew first blood in the first period with a Phillip Danault goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Brett Kulak and Jordie Benn. Dallas tied it in the second period on a Radek Faksa goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Valeri Nichushkin. The Stars pulled ahead with a Jamie Benn power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg. The Canadiens retook the lead with a Danault goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, guided in by Shea Weber and Tomas Tatar. Montreal won 3-2 in overtime on a Jeff Petry goal, his eighth of the campaign, fueled by Paul Byron and Max Domi. The three stars were handed to Danault, Niemi (45 for 37 in saves), and Petry.
Up in Alberta, the Calgary Flames bring in the San Jose Sharks. Aaron Dell and David Rittich are the lesser-known goalies. Calgary led off in the first period with a Mikael Backlund goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Matthew Tkachuk and Michael Frolik. San Jose tied it on a Lukas Radil goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Timo Meier and Logan Couture. The Flames retook the lead with a Backlund goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, fueled by Frolik and Tkachuk. Calgary added on with a Tkachuk power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Sean Monahan and Mark Giordano. The Sharks replied with a Brent Burns power play goal in the second period, his sixth of the season, with a lone assist from Joe Pavelski. The Flames countered with a Tkachuk goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, made possible by Johnny Gaudreau and Monahan. San Jose pulled back on a Joonas Donskoi goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl. Calgary responded with an Elias Lindholm goal, his eighteenth of the year, via Gaudreau and Monahan, the latter earning a sock trick. The Sharks answered in the third period on a Donskoi goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, with helpers from Erik Karlsson and Kane. The Flames fired back with a James Neal goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Sam Bennett and Noah Hanifin. Calgary extended the lead as Gaudreau scored his twentieth of the season, thanks to Lindholm and Monahan. The Flames padded the lead as Gaudreau scored again, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, with the help of Monahan and Lindholm. San Jose chipped back on a Joe Thornton power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Burns and Karlsson. The game ended 8-5, with the three stars being Gaudreau, Monahan, and Tkachuk, while Lindholm, Backlund, Frolik, Donskoi, Burns, Kane, and Karlsson take the honorable mentions.
The year ends in Alberta, as the Edmonton Oilers host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Mikko Koskinen are the masked men. Edmonton began in the first period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his fourteenth of the season, passed from Connor McDavid and Alexander Petrovic. Winnipeg tied it in the second period with a Brandon Tanev goal, his eighth of the year, via Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey. The Jets took the lead with a Brendan Lemieux goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Andrew Copp and Jack Roslovic. The Oilers tied it on a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his twentieth of the year, powered by Darnell Nurse and Nugent-Hopkins. Winnipeg took the lead back on an unassisted Blake Wheeler goal, his sixth of the season. Edmonton tied it again in the third period with a Draisaitl goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, guided in by McDavid. The Jets regained the lead with a Lemieux goal, his second of the game and third of the season, assisted by Joe Morrow and Copp. This was good for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Lemieux, Draisaitl, and Copp, while Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid get the honorable mentions.
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